The sun, moon and your birth sign

By Nikhlesh Mathur

Every magazine and newspaper today has at least one column devoted to predictions about the future for all the twelve astrological signs. This has led to an increased interest in astrology. Many of us actually head to the day’s predictions on opening the paper, leaving the headlines and other stories for later. However, you cannot be sure about which sign is actually your birth sign – you first need to find out whether the predictions given against the birth signs are based on the moon or the sun.


Birth signs based on the sun are according to your date of birth (western system). For example, if you were born between 15 May and 14 June your birth sign based on the sun would be Gemini. So, if the predictions are based on the sun, then choose your sign based on your date of birth.

If the predictions are based on the moon, you will have to find your birth sign using your horoscope. To do this, open your horoscope and locate the house where your moon (chandra) is placed. There would be a number associated with that house. That number represents your birth sign. For example, the number 1 represents Aries (Mesh), and 3 represents Gemini (Mithun).This would be your moon raashi. If you wish to read predictions based on the moon, then you will need to know the birth sign in which the moon is placed in your janam kundali.

Religion is so 'in'

Ayesha Awan

Indiana Daily Student (Indiana U.)

(U-WIRE) BLOOMINGTON, Ind., USA: I couldn't help but shake my head when I saw an article about Britney Spears' recent visit to a Hindu temple.


Not because I have any problem with Hinduism, but I have a problem with celebrities who hop from religion to religion (or religious fad to religious fad) in the same way they hop from nightclub to nightclub.

One of the reasons for my dismay at reading about Britney's temple visit was an anecdote I heard earlier. When Hinduism came up in a conversation, Britney was rumoured to have said "Hinduism? Is that like Kabbalah?" This for me translates into "I'm so ignorant that I don't know anything about Hinduism even though it has a following of nearly a billion people around the world. In fact, I don't really know anything about religion, but maybe Hinduism might be fun and mystic and trendy so let me give it a shot." But since it was an unconfirmed story, I will give Britney the benefit of the doubt. For now.

I can't help but wonder if Britney will be the leader of the Hinduism celebrity bandwagon the same way Madonna is for Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism.

Britney, who was raised a Baptist, was also on the Kabbalah bandwagon for a while under the guidance of Madonna, who has been dabbling in the practice since the late '90s.

Madonna herself has received both criticism and praise for her new spiritual awakening. Rabbi Immanuel Schochet said to USA Today that the center is "not just a cult, but a dangerous cult. They are distorting Kabbalah ... taking some of our sacred books and reducing it to mumbo jumbo, all kinds of hocus pocus."

She also received criticism for her song "Confessions on the Dance Floor," in which she mentions Rabbi Isaac Luria, the 16th century cleric who founded the Kabbalah. Many Rabbis deemed it sacrilegious, claiming she used his name to gain profit.

I guess I'm just curious as to how many out of the ranks of celebrities wearing the red Kabbalah bracelets like Lindsay Lohan, David Beckham and his former Spice Girl wife actually flocked to a faith after a time period of conscientious study, thought and spiritual reflection. Because from what I understand, that is the way that one goes about changing religions.

Does putting on a red bracelet make Lindsay Lohan a devoted follower of Kabbalah? Does becoming a scientologist because your fiancee is one, as Katie Holmes did, make you a true scientologist? Does going to a Hindu temple because Kabbalah got boring make Britney Spears a devout Hindu?

Probably not. Moreover, it's an insult to people who put in time, effort, spiritual concentration and learning to decide whether a faith is right for them or not.

So what's next for Britney after her Baptist/Kabbalah/Hinduism phase? I don't know, maybe she'll visit the Vatican and become Catholic, or maybe she'll don a headscarf and become a devout Muslim.

Or maybe she'll create a new really "cool" religion that's a combination of every religion and embodied through ritualistic pyrotechnic dance shows, herbal ice cream diets and pretty purple earrings. Because that's
just so ... mystic ... and cool, ya know?

I just hope she doesn't start recording songs about the pope or Lord Krishna.

What a horoscope really is

NIKHLESH MATHUR

We have been showing our horoscopes to astrologers for centuries - seeking guidance when in trouble, and sometimes even when we are happy. Yet, have we ever thought what this diagram consisting of the so-called twelve houses and resembling arranged triangles is?

A horoscope is nothing but a map of the position of the stars at the time of one’s birth. The first house represents you. This house contains the star sign which was at the eastern horizon at the time of your birth. The remaining eleven signs are arranged in sequential order, beginning from this sign in an anti-clock-wise manner. Various planets are then placed in the signs in which they actually exist in transit at the time of your birth.

This is your janampatri. But what does it actually mean? An example will make this clear: Let us assume your birth is a temporary stopover during a journey. Imagine you are stranded between Delhi and Jaipur during the journey. Now, how would you best describe your location to people at other places? By stating that you are 100 kms from Delhi, 60 kms from Gurgaon, 160 kms from Jaipur, 75 kms from Faridabad and 1375 kms from Mumbai and so on. If all these cities are replaced by the twelve astrological signs, a map can be prepared which would show your location with respect to various planets in the universe.

This is what a horoscope is - your location amongst the various planets, your and their own distances (angular distances) with each of them at the time of your birth. When all these positions are drawn on a piece of paper and divided into standard segments (twelve houses of thirty degrees each), the geometrical diagram which evolves is commonly called horoscope. It represents your own location in the map along with the position of the planets.